Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rose by a record amount in 2024 to a new high, according to the UN, exacerbating a climate crisis that is already claiming lives and livelihoods around the world.
Scientists are concerned that the natural land and ocean are “sinking” as they remove CO2.2 from the air weaken as a result of global warming, which can form a vicious circle and cause temperatures to rise even faster.
Average global concentrations of the gas rose 3.5 parts per million to 424 parts per million in 2024, the largest increase since modern measurements began in 1957, according to the Institute. report World Meteorological Organization.
Several factors contributed to the jump in CO emissions2including one more year relentless burning of fossil fuels despite the promise of countries around the world to “transition” from coal, oil and gas in 2023. Another factor has been the rise in wildfires in conditions that have become hotter and drier due to global warming. Emissions from wildfires in America reached historical levels in 2024which was the hottest year on record.
But scientists are concerned about a third factor: the possibility that the planet's carbon sinks are starting to break down. About half of all CO2 Annual emissions are removed back from the atmosphere by dissolving in the ocean or being absorbed by growing trees and plants. But the oceans are getting hotter and so can absorb less CO2.2 while on land, hotter, drier conditions and more wildfires mean less plant growth.
Carbon sinks were already known to be less effective during El Niño years, such as 2023 and 2024, when changes in Pacific winds and ocean currents lead to higher global air temperatures. But human-caused global warming has already raised average global temperatures by about 1.3°C, and researchers who recorded “unprecedented ground failure» in 2023 and 2024I'm afraid this might weaken the shells.
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Dr Oksana Tarasova, Senior Scientist at WMO, said: “There is concern that CO emissions on land and ocean2 absorbers become less efficient, which will increase the amount of CO2 which remains in the atmosphere, thereby accelerating global warming. Sustained and enhanced monitoring of greenhouse gases is critical to understanding these cycles.”
Increased CO emissions2 According to the WMO, emissions not only affect global climate today, but will continue to do so for hundreds of years due to the long lifetime of the gas in the atmosphere.
Co Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the WMO, said: “The heat retained by CO2 and other greenhouse gases are changing the climate and leading to even more extreme weather conditions. Therefore, reducing emissions is important not only for our climate, but also for our economic security and the well-being of society.”
Atmospheric concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide—the second and third most important greenhouse gases linked to human activity—also rose to record levels in 2024.
About 40% of methane emissions come from natural sources. But scientists are concerned that global warming leading to increased methane production in wetlandsanother potential feedback loop. The rest comes from fossil fuel extraction; livestock such as cattle; rotting waste in landfills; and rice fields. Nitrous oxide emissions caused by human activities include emissions from overuse of fertilizers by farmers and some industrial processes.
A month earlier, the WMO published its annual greenhouse gas bulletin. KS30UN climate change summit in Belem, Brazil, where the world's representatives will try to step up action to combat climate change. Data comes from the network 500 monitoring stations all over the world.
